My Opinion

The popular belief is that during the time of Mahabharata, Guru Dronacharya lived in his ashram where the current city of Gurgaon exists and hence the name change to Gurugram. However a name change from Gurgaon to Gurugram will make little difference to that area which has been battling serious problems like traffic congestion, scarcity of groundwater and illegal encroachments. It would be far more beneficial if the Government would focus on these real issues plaguing the city!

Those living in Kollam where the horrific fire took place say that for the past four years the temple has been indulging in a display of fireworks. This year a fireworks competition was also to be held. However the administration has always turned a blind eye. Those found to have used explosives and banned material must be severely punished and the strictest action should also be taken against those found guilty of dereliction of duty.

It is true that Dr BR Ambedkar championed the cause of the Dalits and dedicated his whole life for their upliftment but today his name is being misused purely for vote bank politics. The government has organised some big events to celebrate Dr Ambedkar’s birthday on 14th of April. Perhaps the Congress party will also be hosting one or two rallies in his memory. Mayawati will display a different kind of a vigour that day and UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has instructed his district officials to celebrate his birthday with great fanfare. Behind all this there is only one objective that unites all the political parties that of trying to garner maximum Dalit votes.

The Bombay High court has rightfully ruled that there is no point in cancelling the IPL opening match to be played in Mumbai at the last minute when all preparations have already been made. However with Maharashtra reeling under severe drought, the state government should have undertaken all measures to prevent even a drop of water being wasted. One can only hope that the state government with take care that such a situation does not arise in the near future.

Most demands of the agitating students at NIT Srinagar have been accepted by the HRD Ministry. The Ministry has even allowed them to go home and appear for their exams later. To ensure their safety and security, CRPF has been deployed. The government has also agreed to have their answer scripts evaluated externally and has promised them of action against those staff found guilty of discrimination. The manner in which the students were lathicharged by the overzealous cops is wrong and inhuman. Investigations are on and those found guilty will be punished. However despite all assurances if the students continue with their protests, this would certainly be a cause for worry. I have been informed that some students want a transfer out of Srinagar to some other campus for which applications were submitted a year ago. The worst part is that this section of students are not only misusing the tricolour and ‘bharat mata ki jai’ slogans but also using other students in the campus for their own demands. This definitely is not legitimate.

One really can’t expect much from Pakistan. Perhaps Pakistan’s hard line approach suits Narendra Modi the best. When Prime Minister Modi for the first time had cancelled talks with the neighbouring state, he was criticised for lacking the art of diplomacy and there was a clamour for resuming talks. It was also said that Modi was in favour of escalating tensions between the two countries. Modi met Nawaz Sharif at Ufa, at Paris and even went to Pakistan to personally meet him. Sushma Swaraj also visited Pakistan for talks. Subsequently the Pathankot attack took place. Pakistan was given enough proof and the Government even allowed a team from across the border to visit Pathankot for investigations. However when this has evoked a contrarian response, Modi will have no other option but to adopt an iron hand which will certainly prove costly for Pakistan.

It is most difficult to realise the trauma of a father who has lost his son, the pain of a sister who has lost her brother…and it is strange that the person behind the wheel will go scot free because he is only a minor. However in such cases the strictest punishment must be given to such parents who easily hand over their cars to their minor children thereby putting several lives in danger.

Amitabh Bachchan is justified in saying that he has nothing to do with any shipping business. He has been mentioned his as a Director by a company. If indeed he has been a Director in this firm, where is the letter of appointment? Reports say that he resigned from as a Director four years ago and even if he did then there must be a letter of resignation. If Amitabh Bachchan’s name has been misused then it is a case of gross injustice against him. However some have questioned what took him so long to respond? Amitabh Bachchan has said that he had to take legal advice before issuing a statement. He has had to speak to his chartered accountant and only after that he has clarified his stand.

There are about 2500 students at NIT Srinagar. Around 1500 of these students are from states other than J&K. Despite outweighing local students in numbers, there is a sense of apprehension amongst the outstation students. They are scared of beinf at the receiving end of the Kashmiri students who have a local support base. To ensure security, the Government has now decided to deploy CRPF at NIT Srinagar. Smriti Irani will personally visit NIT and hold talks with students. Even the state government is taking this matter seriously. One can hope the situation will get back to normal and students whether local or outstation will not face further trouble. It is important to have discussions with them together.

If one were to listen to Anand Sharma and Arvind Kejriwal, it would appear as if Pakistan has defeated India in a war. Everyone has the right to attack and criticise Prime Minister Modi. But citing a Pakistani newspaper, which is relatively unknown and lacks credibility, to hit out is not correct. If Pakistan’s JIT indeed submits any such report then it must be criticised. However it would be wrong to react in such a hurry where sensitive matters like Pakistan are concerned.

There is no doubt this issue is being politicised. 49 years back in 1967 the Supreme Court had clearly stated that the Aligarh Muslim University cannot be considered a minority institute however it was vote bank politics that forced Indira Gandhi to confer it minority status in 1981. Post ‘81, many a times there have been politics over this issue. Even the Allahabad High Court agreed with the Supreme Court judgement. The government will therefore make its decision as per the law but this will again trigger off a political outcry. The Government will be termed as anti-Muslim and the party will have to do the explaining.

Mehbooba Mufti who took oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir today, is faced with the challenge of fulfilling her father’s dreams. The PDP and BJP are ideologically two different parties, their support bases are different and Mehbooba in terms of running a government is yet not that experienced as her father. Her top priority will be the welfare of the people of J&K and she would have to pay less attention on the uncertainties of her electoral base for having allied with the BJP.